


Donald Dunn, Bird-Loving Wizard

by Ripplebreeze



Series: Wizards of the Valley [1]
Category: Harry Potter - Fandom, Silicon Valley (TV)
Genre: Gen, nothing romantic tbh, this is a oneshot and I might throw in some scenes later of Jared's adventures at Hogwarts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-31
Updated: 2017-01-31
Packaged: 2018-09-20 23:04:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9519959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ripplebreeze/pseuds/Ripplebreeze
Summary: I'm not super sure what this will grow to be! I think it'll be a collection of one-shots of how the boys (and Monica) end up at Hogwarts and what houses they end up in. I need to give credit to assholevacuum on tumblr for what houses they'd be in and their patronuses. Patronuses will be written about later! Also what Jared's mom's name would be. So thank you for that!





	

**Author's Note:**

> This took a while because I couldn't decide if I liked my writing and I just kept erasing and restarting so I'm forcing myself to publish it and be done with it! Hopefully it's not too bad! I hope you enjoy!  
> This particular part of this series is about my boy Jared Dunn. I think he's going to be referred to as Donald and not Jared so fyi.  
> That part where he has a stuffed animal named Winnie? It's a teddy bear, I couldn't bring myself to give him a ziploc bag with old newspaper, jfc I'm not cruel.  
> Okay, okay enough words! I'll let you get to reading. Thanks!

Donald doesn’t remember when he first started doing weird things. He supposes he’s always been able to make things float, he was just very talented with plants, and animals always seemed to like him. His mother always encouraged him to explore his “gift” as she called it. These days, he wasn’t sure if it was.

Some foster families liked his affinity with plants. The first foster family he was with actually kept a shed filled with one plant and they treated him very well as long as he watched over them. Donald didn’t mind. He liked plants and these were relatively easy to care for. However, the police showed up and arrested the family and put him in another home.  
This home was less friendly. His abilities weren’t as kindly received. By the time he left that home, Donald wasn’t sure if his mother was lying or not. As he cycled through more homes, he learned to never to show anyone his powers. It wasn’t a gift; it was a burden. It just made people angry.

He took all of his knowledge to the next and, what he was determined to make, the final home. He settled in quickly. His foster siblings mostly passed over him, they only sometimes teased him or stole his things. His foster parents mostly turned a blind eye towards it all. This was better, Donald decided. He may be ten but he can take care of himself. It was better than being hit and berated.

He was a wonderful planner but the one thing he could not account for was the letter. A letter addressed to HIM of all people arriving a month after his eleventh birthday. Donald always grabbed the mail and put it on the dining room table for the family to open. This one morning, a rather aged looking envelope caught his eye. He picked it up and noticed it was addressed to “Donald Dunn of 1744 Shady Pines Drive and only Donald Dunn”

His heart began to race as he took the rest of the mail and placed it on the table as he always did. He raced upstairs and slipped past his siblings coming down the stairs for breakfast. Donald locked himself in the bathroom to guarantee privacy. With shaky hands, he examined the letter. It was an aged yellow with red sealing wax over the flap. He carefully undid the flap and removed the letter from the envelope. He unfolded it, took a deep breath, and began to read.

Dear Mr. Dunn,  
Before I begin, this is not a prank. I’ve better things to do than attempt to trick who I believe to be gullible eleven year olds. Please meet me in the park at the bench where you feed ducks and I will explain everything. It’s best to say this in person.  
-Mr. Gregory

Donald read the letter over and over. He couldn’t think of anyone he knew named “Gregory” and he considered not going. But the letter said this wasn’t a prank and he COULD use his abilities. Maybe. He wasn’t sure about hurting someone else but this was perhaps justifiable. Hopefully. He briefly thought about bringing bread because the ducks would surely expect something when they see him.

Donald snuck several pieces of bread into his pocket and left the house stealthily. No one would notice his absence. He ran to the park, letter inside his small jacket, bread in his pocket. He eventually came upon the bench to see a man sitting there, watching the pond. “Mr. Gregory?”

The man turned to face him. He had brown hair, brown eyes, and a round face. He looked sweet, really.

“Donald.” He greeted him with a clipped and quiet voice, gesturing to the seat next to him. “Sit.”

Donald cautiously sat next to the man and held the man’s calculating gaze.

“What is in your pocket, Donald?” Donald opened his mouth to answer but a quack interrupted him. Three ducks toddled up to them as Donald fished the bread out of his pocket and began to tear off pieces and toss it gently to the ducks. Mr. Gregory watched the act with fascination and his eyes widened when Donald offered him a piece to throw to the ducks.

“No, but thank you.” Donald threw the rest to the ducks and smiled as he watched them walk back to the pond, content.

“Donald, my name is Peter Gregory. I am headmaster of a school located in Great Britain. I want to enroll you there.” Donald’s jaw dropped. “I know about your abilities, Donald. Your gifts.”

“They aren’t gifts…” Donald said softly. Mr. Gregory raised his eyebrows.

“They are. Most muggles are closeminded. It is not your fault. But Donald, you have great control over your magic already. It is exceptional. It would serve you much better to come to Great Britain and attend my school rather than Mr. Belson’s here in America.”

“Magic?”

“Yes, magic. That is what you use to make things float or what you use to mend your physical wounds after a foster sibling hits you.”

“Who is Mr. Belson?”

“He runs the school for witches and wizards here in America. He’s a skilled wizard, incredibly intelligent. You would not thrive here, however.”

“Why not?”

“Mr. Belson isn’t very concerned with youths of rough households, such as yourself. You would be forced to stay surrounded by close-minded muggles during the winter and summer holidays. Muggles are people without magic, before you ask. I have a program for young orphaned youths, such as yourself, to stay in a magic friendly environment and have a source for emotional and psychological growth crucial for your development over the holidays as well as in my school.” Donald was at a loss for words. It all seemed too strange to be true. He finally knew the source of his abilities and this man was offering what was seemingly a different life he couldn’t even dream of.

“Donald.” He looked at Mr. Gregory in awe. “You are lacking a stable environment for love and affection. I am offering that to you. You would be foolish to turn it down.”

“Let me…let me grab my things. Please. Don’t leave without me.” Mr. Gregory nodded and stood up.

“I wouldn’t, Donald. I will wait.”

And so Donald ran as fast as his legs could take him. Once he reached his room, he began to stuff his suitcase with all of his clothes. When he reached for his small teddy bear, he felt nothing. It was missing. A sibling must have stolen it, Donald thought ruefully. He couldn’t leave it. It was the only thing he had to remember his mother.

“Donald?” He whipped around to see Mr. Gregory standing in his room. “You were taking an inadequately large amount of time to pack your belongings. I sense you are missing something.”

“How did- never mind. My teddy bear, Winnie.” Mr. Gregory nodded and reached in his jacket. Jared instinctively took a step back and Mr. Gregory stared at him with…concern? It was hard to tell emotion on his face. Mr. Gregory pulled out a stick and gave it a small wave.

Suddenly, the worn bear soared into the room and landed softly in the suitcase. Mr. Gregory stared at the bear for a while before Donald shut the suitcase with finality.

“Are you ready, Donald?” Donald looked around the room to make sure he wasn’t leaving anything. He hesitated, wondering if he should say goodbye to his foster family.

“You don’t have to say goodbye.” Mr. Gregory checked his watch.

“Okay.” Donald chose to ignore the fact that his mind was just read. “I’m ready.”  
\---

Donald’s first day at his new home was an interesting experience. When Donald arrived with his suitcase, a caretaker immediately grabbed it and carried it up the stairs for him. Donald stuttered the whole way that he didn’t have to do that, but the caretaker laughed it off and said it was fine.

“The name’s Ron. Ron LaFlamme. I’m one of the caretakers here. Consider me an uncle or dad of some sort. Call me Ron, uncle, dad, father, whatever you want.” The caretaker cheerfully introduced himself and stuck his hand out for Donald to shake. Donald carefully shook his hand and looked around his room. A small bed was tucked in the corner with a thick green quilt folded on top of it. A desk was facing the window with potted lavender sitting in the corner. Donald perked up when he noticed the birdfeeder hanging outside of his window.

“I hope you like the room. We can add posters and stuff later. I didn’t want to go all out, y’know. I don’t know you very well yet. Peter told me you were a fan of birds and plants so…I hoped this was cool.” Ron shuffled his feet on the ground. “Anyway, I’ll let you get settled. Gotta talk to Peter about some stuff. Come down whenever! I can introduce you to Patrice too, she’s one of the other caretakers here right now. We change shifts depending on the day and whenever we can come by. You’ll figure it out the longer you stay. Let me know if you need anything.” Ron smiled and shut the door as he left.

Donald almost burst into tears.

\---  
“He’s very polite,” Ron said as he leaned against the dining room doorway.

“Indeed. The neglect has made him that way,” Peter grunted as he sat at the table.

“That’s a bit worrying.”

“He can recover. Of course, it’ll take a while. Longer than Jared and Carla. He’s lived through neglect and abuse during his more crucial developing stages,” Peter said matter-of-factly.

“I like him. He seems very…” Ron searched carefully for a word.

“Malnourished.” 

“Yeah, that. Was he eating at all?”

“Scraps he could find, mainly. Donald cooked the meals at his last foster home in an attempt to gain love and affection. He could only eat small portions of the meals he made, he’s got multiple food allergies.”

“Shit…” Ron muttered. “That’s rough.”

“I foresee him being wary around you, Peter, and Patrice for a while. He’ll avoid Jared and Carla for a while. You’ll need to be patient and careful.”

“Of course.”

\---  
“Excited, buddy?” Ron asked Donald as they walked down a busy cobble street. “Getting your wand is always fun. The supplies are dope as hell too.”

“Yeah.” Donald smiled. “There’s so much!” Donald looked around excitedly at all of the shops. Ron laughed and nodded.

“I remember my first time coming here. It’s awesome.” Ron stopped in front of a small, cramped looking shop. “Here we are. Ollivander, the best wand-maker in the world.”  
They entered and a small, elderly man with wild, white hair peered from the back.

“Welcome. How may I help you?”

“We’re looking for Donald’s first wand.” He ruffled Donald’s hair affectionately and Donald blushed. He still wasn’t quite used to the open affection.

“Excellent. Let me look and see what I have…” Mr. Ollivander began to go through boxes and eventually opened one. He turned and handed the wand to Donald. He took it carefully and stared at it. “Holly, unicorn hair core, brittle, 10 inches long. Give it a small wave.” Donald did and nothing happened. “Hmm, that’s not right at all.” Mr. Ollivander took the wand back and began his search again, picking up boxes occasionally and putting them back without a second glance.

“Here, this will be the one. Hawthorn, quite flexible, phoenix feather, 11 inches long. Give it a wave.”

Donald held the wand and gave it a wave. The wand erupted to life, yellow sparks flying from the tip.

“Yes, Donald!” Ron threw a thumbs up.

“Excellent, yes. This wand is particularly suited for healing magic and casting curses.” Donald stared at his new wand with pride.

“That’ll be seven galleons, Mr. LaFlamme.” As Ron shoved his hand in his pocket and began to search for the coins, Mr. Ollivander smiled at Donald. “Hawthorn wood with a phoenix feather core, it’s quite the wand. A word of warning, if you mishandle a spell bad enough, it will backfire. Be careful, Donald.”

“I will.” Donald nodded. “Thank you.”

“Here you go, Mr. Ollivander.” Ron chirped and handed the gold coins to him. “I think you can expect Pete coming by with Carla next time.”

“Pete? Is he…okay now?” Mr. Ollivander looked warily at Donald, who was still engrossed with his wand.

“Ah, yeah he’s alright now. He gets limited time with the kids ever since his last stunt but I really think it’s helping. It’s good for him to give back to the community. Get in the good graces of the public. Anyway, we’d better go. Still gotta get the rest of the supplies. Thanks again, Mr. Ollivander.”

“Thank you!” Donald called back as he and Ron walked out of the shop.

Ron and Donald went and grabbed all of the textbooks needed and got Donald measured for robes. As they waited for the robes to be made, Donald asked a question that had been burning his mind for a while.

“Ron? What do you and other caretakers do whenever you aren’t at the house?”

“Our normal jobs usually. I give legal advice to wizarding businesses and stuff like that. Patrice works alongside Mr. Gregory at Hogwarts as an assistant. Pete is a lawyer. Well…he was a lawyer.”

“Sounds busy.”

“It can be. But we do it because we want to and we enjoy helping kids. It’s all the joy of hanging with you guys and trading responsibilities with other people. Much less stressful than having actual offspring. I’d rather do this than ever be a biological dad.”

“Really? How come?”

“There are lots of kids out there that don’t have good homes. Bringing another kid in this world when I can help the ones already here just seems weird to me. Of course, you know…people are different and want kids that are genetically theirs but it’s not for me. You kids are already here and you’re cool already. I don’t think I can trust myself enough to raise a kid from scratch. Weird, right?” Donald shook his head no, quickly, and Ron chuckled. “Nah, it’s weird but…I like the way my life is now. I can do something cool, give back to people. Have some fun, learn some stuff with some kids. But still be able to go back to my place to a clean apartment and no noise. You feel me?”

“Yeah, I get that.”

\---  
“Alright, Donald, this is the other fun part. Besides the wand.” Ron said excitedly.

“What is it?”

“I kept it a surprise but…you like owls?”

“Very much so,” Donald stopped talking as they approached “Eeylops Owl Emporium” and stared at the several owls on display behind the glass.

“You gotta get yourself an owl, man. They’re useful for sending mail and stuff.”

“R-really? We’re…getting an owl?” It was too good to be true.

“Yeah man. It’s where I got mine. Let’s pick one.”

Donald ended up picking a small barn owl. She had immediately warmed to him, giving a soft coo every time he passed by her in the shop. Donald fell in love immediately and began to stroke the top of her head.

“Cool owl. What’ll you name her?”

“Camilla. After my mom.” Donald said excitedly.

“Awesome. I’ll pay for her and we’ll head out.”  
\---

Unfortunately, Ron fell sick when Donald needed to be guided to Platform 9 and 3/4. Patrice was at Hogwarts helping with all of the preparations for the new students. Pete had to stay home with the kids as he couldn’t legally be at the train station for another week. This meant Donald had to go to the station alone with no one to help guide him.

“Hey, kid.” Donald turned to see a girl approach him. “You look lost. You a first year for Hogwarts?”

“Y-yes, I am. Are you?” She looked young enough to be a first year.

“I am. My parents came to guide me to the station, you want to come with?”

“Yes, please. My name is Donald.”

“Oh god, I didn’t introduce myself, I’m sorry! I’m Monica.” Monica shook hands with Donald quickly. She had dark brown hair tied in a long ponytail and soft brown eyes. Her appearance made Donald think of a bunny rabbit. “You excited?”

“Yeah, also very nervous.” Donald chuckled as they walked. “I’m very new to all of this, to be honest.”

“Muggleborn? Ah, it’s probably all overwhelming for you. Which sucks, but Hogwarts is the best school around for this.” Monica stopped in front of a pillar and waited as her parents caught up. They were pushing a cart similar to Donald’s with a snowy owl in a cage. Camilla cooed at the owl as it arrived.

“Hi, I see you’re making friends with Monica.” A man with slicked back black hair and round brown eyes firmly gripped Donald’s hand and shook. “I’m Monica’s father, Paul.”

“And I’m her mother, Marie.” A woman with mousy brown hair and green eyes shook Donald’s hand as well. “Do you know how to get to the platform?”

“I-I don’t...this is my first time doing all of this.” Donald confided as the mother clicked her tongue disapprovingly.

“Oh dear, this will probably make you nervous then. But you need to trust us.” She turned to Monica and gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Take your cart and show this young man what to do, we’ll be waiting for you there.” To Donald’s surprise, Marie started to sprint straight for the pillar. She was gone.

“You got this, honey.” Paul did exactly what Marie did and disappeared right before making impact with the pillar.

“I’m sorry, you’ve got to be so confused. All you have to do is run at that pillar over there. It’s got a magical barrier protecting muggles from finding the platform. So just push your cart in front of you and run right at it. Like so.” Monica gripped her cart tightly and sprinted at the pillar. She was gone as well.

“Oh my…” Donald looked at his cart despairingly.

“You going next?” A large boy said behind him. “C’mon then. It’s the only way.”

“I’m sorry,” Donald bit his lip. He turned back to the pillar and took a deep breath and ran. He closed his eyes to brace for impact but felt nothing. He opened his eyes to see a brand new room. He stared with awe at the large red train in front of him before he felt a cart knock him from behind.

“Oh crap, man, I’m sorry!” The large boy from before ran up to him and helped him up. “I guess I should have waited longer; I was just really excited.” He stuck his hand out and shook Donald’s hand vigorously. “The name’s Erlich Bachman. You gonna be a first year here too?”

“Yes, I am. It’s no trouble at all, Erlich, it was my mistake. I’m Donald,” he said meekly. Erlich reminded Donald of a bear. He had curly, short, light brown hair and a large grin on his face.

“You made it!” Monica ran up to Donald excitedly. She looked at Erlich skeptically.

“Donald, you didn’t tell me you had a lady friend!” Erlich immediately stuck his hand out to Monica. “Erlich Bachman. And your name?”  
Monica rolled her eyes but shook his hand. “Monica. C’mon Donald, we’ve got to get on the train.”

“I’ll come with you guys then! Just gotta say bye to my dad.” Erlich waved as Monica turned on her heel and walked away. Erlich ran towards a large man who looked remarkably like him. Donald waited awkwardly by himself as they shared a hug and Erlich ran back to Donald.

“Alright, let’s get on and find Monica. You say good bye to your parents yet?” Erlich asked as they walked briskly to the train, pushing their carts.

“Yeah…I did.” Donald had said farewell to Ron and Pete before leaving and he was going to meet Patrice at Hogwarts.

“Cool.”

\---  
After their luggage was packed away, Erlich and Donald found Monica sitting alone in a compartment. As the train started to run, Monica and Erlich waved to their parents through the window as Donald stared at his lap.  
\---

“So what house are you hoping to be in?” Erlich asked. “The answer is obvious, of course.”

“Is it really?” Monica tipped her head to the side. “All of the houses are fine, really. I guess I’d want to be in Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. Those were my parents’ houses.”

“No way. Gryffindor is the obvious best pick. They’ve the best color scheme and the most powerful mascot. Bravery is the most admirable quality. My dad was in Gryffindor. He’d know,” Erlich boasted proudly.

“What about you, Donald?” Monica turned to Donald expectantly.

“I’m not sure. Ron told me he was in Slytherin, Patrice told me she was in Hufflepuff, and Pete told me he was in Ravenclaw so…I don’t know.”

“You’ve got three parents?” Erlich’s eyes widened.

“I suppose. They’re more of caretakers, really. I consider them like uncles and aunt. There are two others like me, Carla Walton and Jared Patakian. They’ll come to Hogwarts soon.”

“Your family is interesting.” Monica smiled. “Sounds cool, Donald.”

Donald blushed and looked at the floor while Erlich still looked puzzled.

“So, is that why you came to the platform alone?” Erlich asked bluntly.

“Erlich! That’s rude!” Monica snapped at him as Donald smiled ruefully.

“No, no, it’s quite alright. Yes, Ron was supposed to take me here today but he fell sick. Patrice is assisting Mr. Gregory at Hogwarts and Pete is watching over Carla and Jared.”

“Patrice knows Mr. Gregory?” Monica asked disbelievingly.

“Yeah, she’s his assistant. She told me she used to work for Mr. Belson in America but Mr. Gregory offered her a better job here. Mr. Gregory is actually the one who runs the program I’m a part of. He’s the reason I have a family in the first place,” Donald smiled fondly as he spoke.

“That’s awesome! I had no idea Mr. Gregory did all of that. That’s crazy,” Monica said, looking at Erlich wondrously.

“Mr. Gregory is a sharp man,” Erlich said knowingly. “That’s cool, Donald.”

\---

“Dunn, Donald,” Patrice said in a clear voice, excitement barely hidden in her tone. Donald could feel himself blushing as made his way to the Sorting Hat. He had no idea how Erlich could walk up here with as much confidence as he did. Erlich had been put into Gryffindor, just what he wanted. Donald was happy to clap along with the Gryffindor table.

Donald felt everyone’s gaze on him as he placed the hat on his head and waited for his house to be called.  
_Donald, is it?_  
_Yes, Mr. Hat._  
The hat chuckled and all of the students began to murmur in confusion.  
_I see a lot of potential in you, Donald. You really could go in any house. The one you would flourish in the most is…difficult to pinpoint._  
_I’m sorry…_  
_Don’t apologize, Donald. You did nothing wrong. Hmm…you think very differently compared to the other students who have been through the same experiences you have._  
_Oh._  
_You think the best of people. You would do anything for your family. You’re…loyal._

“HUFFLEPUFF!” The Sorting Hat cried with finality. The Hufflepuff table erupted in cheers and Monica clapped the hardest from the group of first-years.

_Good luck, Donald._

Donald whispered a thank you to the hat, took it off, and walked to the Hufflepuff table with excitement and uncertainty. He saw Patricia clapping quickly and flashing him a smile before calling out the next name.


End file.
